The Blessing

Yesterday and this morning, I can't stop thinking about blessings. Not necessarily the type of blessings that come, literally, directly from God with no action from us. But blessings that we bestow over each other.
I was at an event yesterday and a Pastor prayed a blessing over the food. I asked myself this, how seriously do I take a blessing? I remember the last time a stranger blessed me. 
She was in Wal-mart and I was with my daughter. She was in one of those electric shopping carts and she had huge Chuck Norris earrings. I am not kidding. They were a picture of Chuck Norris with an American flag behind them. She stopped us and told me how beautiful Penny was. Then she prayed a blessing over us. I was touched. I hadn't had a complete stranger do that before...or did it happen before and I missed it.


Then I thought about two people who desired blessings.  


The first was Esau. Jacob, putting on an elaborated hairy disguise, took the blessing of the first born. When Esau found out, he desired that his dad bless him. He longed for it. He was passionate for it. Genesis 27:38 says "Esau said to his father, "Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!" Then Esau wept aloud." I sure he wasn't happy when the blessing included him serving his brother. Well, the Bible says he "held a grudge".
Then there was Pharaoh. After each first born of each Egyptian household was killed, Pharaoh asked for a blessing. (Exodus 12:32)
Blessings are big deals. We should desire them. It calls on and is apart of the power of God. We also should share our blessings. With our families, with our friends and even pray them over the difficult people in our lives as Moses did.
Think about it the next time you hastily say a blessing over your food. The power of the blessing is amazing.